Do Guitar Players Need Ear Training?
By Dylan Andrews
Most guitar players, at some point, wonder if ear training is necessary to become a good guitar player.
And the answer is never a straight yes or no.
It depends on what you consider a 'good guitar player' is.
If your definition of a good guitar player is someone who can play a few chords or songs, then no, you do not need to train your ear.
And if you are happy with that, then great.
But if you want to reach a new level of playing most guitarists don't ever get to, then let me ask you a few questions:
- Would you like to be able to learn songs faster?
- Would you like to have a deeper understanding of music?
- Would you like to become a better improviser?
- Would you like to become a better songwriter?
- Would you like to be more creative?
- Would you like to be more confident?
- Would you like to be a better rhythm player?
- Would you like to communicate with other musicians more efficiently and intelligently?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, having a trained ear will give you all that and more.
Training your ear is a key that unlocks total freedom on your guitar.
And what I mean by total freedom is having the ability to freely express yourself without limitations.
Play whatever you want and have it sound exactly how you want it to.
This is true mastery of the guitar, and it is only possible to reach this level with training your ear.
So if reaching this level sounds like something you want to achieve, then ear training is necessary.
And since most people want to reach this level, my answer is usually yes; ear training for guitar players is essential.
But to achieve total freedom, you need skills that only ear training will give you, such as:
- Knowing what notes and chords sound like before you play them
- Immediately know what other guitar players are playing without having to pick up your guitar
- Being able to learn songs by just listening to them
- Play what you hear in your head instantly
- Identifying what emotions are being expressed in a song
- When you can do all these things, playing the guitar becomes extremely fun and something you will feel excited about every time you play.
So ask yourself, if ear training unlocks all these skills, why wouldn't you want to train your ear?
If you know how to train your ear correctly, training your ear will be one of the best parts of your practice sessions.
Ear training will allow you to see massive gains in your playing and reach new levels you once thought impossible.
The key is to know the correct ear training exercises and how ear training for guitar players works.
I want to help you have a highly trained ear to become the highly skilled guitarist you want to be and have more fun playing.